Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Spy
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In a secluded corridor with few people, a secret collusion was taking place.
The spirit(?) of the inner world shouted excitedly upon witnessing the scene.
Rishir(?) said to the spirit.
'Calm down, Dangalleon. The spies mistook me for their collusion partner, so I'm just taking advantage of it.'
'What, multiple personalities?'
'Got it. So, what do you think of this guy?'
'Does he look like a spy for the demon worshippers to you?'
Rishir, seeking the spirit's opinion, felt a bit confused.
Was it as the spirit(?) said?
"Heh, hehehe..."
The woman who had approached him looked far too clumsy to be a spy for the demon worshippers.
Her posture, huddled with all her might, seemed to be wary of everything in the world.
Her timid eyes, peeking through her long bangs, couldn't even gaze steadily at the other person for a moment, darting around nervously.
'This is supposed to be a spy for the demon worshippers?'
Rishir pondered.
If he were to order the woman in front of him to do something fitting for a demon worshipper.
How would she react?
Would she suddenly transform into a different person contrary to her appearance and eagerly harm others?
Or would she panic and flounder around, just as she appeared?
'No matter how I look at her, it's the latter...'
Various possibilities came to mind.
Rishir decided to put those possibilities aside for now.
Regardless of her true nature, it was clear she held a clue to rooting out the spies.
The most important thing right now was to exploit her misunderstanding and extract as much information as possible.
The problem was—
'Pretending to be the collusion target worked fine. But what do I do next?'
All he knew now was that she had been drawn to his extraordinary abilities.
Under those conditions, how could he maximize her misconception and guide her actions?
"Um... Do you have any separate instructions for me..."
The prolonged silence.
The woman grew even more anxious, waiting for Rishir's next move.
It was like urging without urging.
Rishir felt pressured and spurred his thinking.
'I need to do something... but acting rashly could raise unnecessary suspicions and ruin everything. This is maddening.'
'...'
Rishir hesitated over the spirit's suggestion.
And felt a slight headache from the situation of hesitating over that suggestion.
Perhaps.
Interrogating the woman as Dangalleon suggested might be the best option.
There was nothing else he could do in this situation.
'But... interrogation isn't my specialty. Even if it were, I don't particularly want to... So what do I do? There's nothing else I can—... Wait.'
Then.
A flash of insight struck him.
'How much does this woman know about me? In other words, about the collusion target?'
She had recognized his extraordinary abilities and approached him.
In other words.
She had approached based solely on his extraordinary abilities.
'Maybe she knows nothing else about the collusion target.'
Moreover, setting aside her inherently timid personality, her attitude seemed especially cautious.
'She's not on equal terms with the collusion target. The target is her superior.'
Gathering those clues and possibilities, Rishir reached one conclusion.
'Instead of playing cautious here, what if I act boldly?'
As his thoughts organized, Rishir stared straight into the woman's eyes.
"Eek...!"
The woman flinched and trembled.
Rishir had assumed an appearance fitting the situation and role.
The mild-mannered young man was no more.
Standing there was someone cloaked in killing intent and intimidation that only those who understood a murder ghost's essence could embody.
"..."
Rishir jerked his chin toward the woman.
Likewise, the young man who had felt impatient under her urging was gone.
Rishir instead urged her on.
Thus, he shifted the blame for the silence onto her.
It was the "Don't you have a report for me?" strategy.
By creating a situation where a superior tests a subordinate's ability and initiative, he would lead her to dance, sing, and even issue commands on her own.
'Will this work?'
It was a rather forced plan that would collapse the moment she sensed any awkwardness.
Aware of that, Rishir focused even more on his breathing.
So she wouldn't notice the anxiety—
He exuded even denser killing intent and intimidation.
"Ah, ah..."
It worked.
The woman began fidgeting, biting her nails.
I have to do something.
But what?
She was caught in such thoughts.
Rishir didn't miss that opening.
"I'll ask. What are you here for? Why did you seek me out?"
It was a question.
Rishir truly knew nothing and was seeking answers from her.
However.
To her now, that question felt like a test.
Thus—
She felt no sense of incongruity that the collusion target, who should lead as a superior, was instead demanding she take the lead.
"If, if I'm not mistaken... You gave us a sign...?"
To wipe out the demon worshippers in one fell swoop, he needed to infiltrate their lair and wait for them all to gather in one place.
But Rishir was wary of infiltrating via the woman.
He had no assurance they were all in the same state as her.
If someone with more information than this subordinate woman was there—
His act would be exposed immediately.
But.
From her reaction now, Rishir vaguely gained that assurance.
'Gave us a sign... Maybe they're all in a similar state to this woman.'
They hadn't obtained any information from him yet—
But he was steadily accumulating information on them.
Gaining confidence, Rishir acted more aggressively.
"Speak."
"Pardon?"
"What sign did I give you?"
"That...! At the gathering of Star Birth Festival participants, you said you'd prove your existence with an ability we could never doubt...!"
"How?"
"A, a whisper... You whispered to us with an unknown power...! You said you'd give strength to us pitiful ones...! I, I clearly saw it—"
The woman's eyes now shone with anticipation and longing.
"Even Landeia couldn't do it... And you accomplished it so easily...!!!"
"Simple spirit arts."
"N-No!!! I'm a mage myself and know about spirit arts!!! What you—Lord Rishir—did wasn't that simple! It wasn't spirit arts, but something more fundamental...! You captured the spirit with an unknown power!!! Right!?"
Huh.
Huhehe.
Huhehehe.
The woman let out an awkward laugh that was too clumsy for madness.
"As Lord Rishir said... If I serve that great being too, can I become like you...!?"
Rishir withdrew his killing intent and intimidation.
Returning to his usual mild-mannered young man appearance, he said,
"That depends on your own efforts. But remember this one thing. You can definitely become a much cooler person than you are now."
"Ah...!"
The woman's expression filled with感動.
Soon, pure respect and admiration settled in her timid eyes, replacing fear and awe.
"Th-Then what should I do now!?"
"Tell me."
"...F-First, I'll guide you to where the others are! Everyone's waiting for Lord Rishir!!!"
"Good. Let's go."
Rishir followed behind the woman down the corridor.
Landeia Ye Relloza.
Though usually overshadowed by her name, the Coffee Exchange also included heirs from various prestigious families.
As someone once said, even the lowest-ranking member in the Coffee Exchange would naturally become the center of attention in a typical gathering.
Leon Hordel.
He was a prime example.
The Hordel family, high nobles whose influence in their region was considered absolute.
Born as the second son of such Hordels, Leon grew up basking in the family's expectations and attention.
—How is Young Master Leon so brilliant?
—If you close your eyes and listen to him speak, it's almost indistinguishable from the family head!?
—His demeanor is so mature...
—Family head! Young Master Leon's talent is heaven-sent! You must send him to the Magic Tower for proper training immediately...
—Young Master Leon is... How should I put it? What a pity. Such a pity.
—I mean, if only he had been born a bit earlier than his eldest brother, Deveron, he'd be hailed as the perfect heir material with no equal.
—Talent. Brilliance. Character. Above all, that confidence! He lacks nothing compared to Deveron...
—Lacks nothing? Far surpasses.
—Shh! That's enough.
It was because of his overly mature talent and character for his age.
Rumors even called Leon the "reincarnation of the previous family head."
—Reincarnation of the previous family head... Maybe it's really true...
Leon himself occasionally wondered about the origins of his innate extraordinary traits.
And.
One day, that doubt was suddenly resolved.
A voice suddenly echoed in his head.
That voice revealed the source of Leon's extraordinary traits.
Leon couldn't immediately accept the story the voice called the "truth."
How could he?
The essence of himself, respected and admired by those around him, turned out to be the reincarnation of a horrific demon worshipper.
However.
In the midst of that, one fact he could accept right away.
It was the origin of his innate extraordinary abilities.
Because he craved even more than what he inherently possessed.
Leon knew.
Even with his extraordinary abilities, settling for them would trap him in the mold of fate, living and dying within it.
However.
If he listened to the voice within.
If he pursued power in a way that broke free from the mold.
Could he not escape even fate itself?
Thus—
Could he not become master not just of a mere family, but something greater?
And so Leon Hordel decided to accept his identity as a demon worshipper.
The Star Birth Festival participants.
In their friendly gathering, mostly composed of nobles, one group particularly drew everyone's attention.
The Coffee Exchange.
There, a man was spending time relatively close to the center figure, Landeia.
It was Leon Hordel, the third-in-command of the Coffee Exchange.
He surveyed his surroundings with a leisure befitting his position in the group.
"Leon?"
"Yeah?"
Then, a long-haired man addressed Leon.
Delphod.
As the second-in-command of the Coffee Exchange, he possessed influence and skill second only to Landeia.
The consensus among members was that the winner of this Star Birth Festival would definitely be Landeia or Delphod.
"Looking for someone? You've been glancing around."
"Someone I'm looking for..."
Leon gave a subtle smile at Delphod's words.
Someone he was looking for.
There was.
To be precise, people who should come to him.
Leon Hordel.
Born the second son of his family, destined never to become family head, he harbored grand ambitions.
Gathering those in similar predicaments and forging a massive force.
Those born as scions of powerhouses yet unable to inherit that power fully.
That was why he joined the Coffee Exchange—
And participated in the Star Birth Festival.
Leon had steadily swayed those in similar positions within the Coffee Exchange.
Through whispers empowered by demonic forces.
And today.
Was the moment of contact—
And formation.
Envisioning a near future where he would pursue power in earnest using his followers, Leon took action.
"Delphod?"
"Yeah?"
"Want to liven things up together?"
Delphod looked at Leon as if he were strange.
The Coffee Exchange was effectively a two-person system of Landeia and Delphod.
No one would think Leon could rival Delphod.
Not even Leon himself.
The subtle superior-inferior dynamic between Leon and Delphod stemmed from that.
Yet.
Leon suddenly tried to overturn that hierarchy.
"What's gotten into you?"
Delphod graciously accepted the insubordination.
The sudden spar between Coffee Exchange members.
The match at the center of the banquet hall drew all eyes—
And delivered a shock.
"Leon, you—"
The bout ended in an instant.
When Leon revealed a glimpse of his hidden true power, even Landeia couldn't hide her astonishment.
Leon left the now-buzzing banquet hall behind and moved to a secluded corridor.
"L-Leon!!!"
Then, some Coffee Exchange members hurriedly followed him.
Those in whom Leon had planted seeds through demonic whispers.
"C-Could you be...!?"
Leon carefully examined their eyes.
Awe. Caution. Expectation. Yearning.
Those were the emotions in their gazes.
No doubt lingered there.
Leon smiled and said,
"Are you ready to pursue the same power as me?"
"...!"
Leon smiled contentedly at their reactions.
He said,
"Guide me to where the others are."
"Ah, Leon!!! You heard Lord Rishir's voice too!"
"?"
Upon arriving, Leon wondered what this situation was.
Those who should follow him were gazing admiringly at another man while listening to a timid woman—Mona.
Watching the scene, Leon froze like a statue on the spot.
Someone was impersonating him.
He understood the situation itself, yet couldn't accept it.
To begin with, was this a situation where impersonation would even work?
"Wh-What are you all doing!?"
Eventually, one of his followers, slower to grasp but first to recover, shouted.
"The voice's owner is this man here, Lord Leon!!!"
All eyes turned to him.
What are they saying?
The followers, split into two groups, stared at each other with the same faces.
Soon, Mona, who had been praising Rishir right beside, shouted,
"No way!!! The voice's owner is Lord Rishir! Lord Rishir is the one who will lead us!!!"
"That guy!? Don't make me laugh! What can that guy do!"
"He can do a lot! Didn't you see earlier!? Lord Rishir subjugating the spirit! Do you think that guy could do something like that!?"
"Ridiculous!"
Leon's followers looked to him.
Their gazes held strong faith.
Faith that of course Lord Leon could handle something like that.
"Wait...!"
Leon unwittingly averted their gazes.